The Face Of Death
by coolbluerocker
Summary: It's time, they realize. Xana is stronger then ever and in order to defeat him they too must rise up. Friends are betray, secrets are held and their small group must stand tall when the ground is shaking just below their feet. If they can't trust one another, who else can they believe in? Re-make of my earlier story When Secrets Are Told


Hullo everyone! You might recognize this story. It is the same as my earlier one (When Secrets Are Told), only better. I have decided to re-do it because in my opinion, it was badly written and I have sudden inspiration! Anyways, I'd suggest you not look up the old one, it's no good and there will be differences sooo... yea. I might take it down at a later date, I'm not sure yet. Anyways, here ya go! (Ps. Constructive Criticism very welcome!)

**Summary: **It's time, they realize. Xana is stronger then ever and in order to defeat him they too must rise up. Friends are betray, secrets are held and their small group must stand tall when the ground is shaking just below their feet. If they can't trust one another, who else can they believe in? (Re-make of my earlier story When Secrets Are Told)

**Pairings: **Okay, the first story of this was UlrichxYumi but I'm kinda leaning towards OddxUlrich ever since I discovered my inner boyxboy fan-ness. I was thinking about it being OddxUrich, WilliamxYumi and JeremyxAelita. What do you think? Suggestions are welcome.

**Warnings: **Some swear words, people crying. Idk. I've rated it Teen just to be-sure to be-sure.

**Disclaimers: **I obviously do not own Code Lyoko or any of the characters here (unless I make them which I will inform you about).

**The Face Of Death**

**Vanish**

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

One Year Previous (Yumi's POV)

"Ulrich!" I screamed, my voice grown hoarse from constant yelling. It itches and aches, but I don't stop; don't pause. I don't have the time. Not enough time. Not enough anything. _Where is he. _"Ulrich! Where are you!"

And I pray that this time, maybe, _maybe_, he'll answer.

He disappeared not long after returning from Lyoko. We had once again won. Barely, but we managed to deactivate the tower. We had just been entering the forest after climbing up the ladder from the underground system. He received a phone call and excused himself, saying he'd be only a moment. He disappeared into the shadows of the woods and we haven't seen him since.

We've searched. Odd, Jeremy, Aelita, William and I. We've looked and scanned and hunter, but he seems to have disappeared into thin air. Of course, people can't just disappear, although, after all I've seen, nothing seems impossible now-a-days.

I stumble upon Odd, my searching partner. We haven't exactly been sticking together like we're suppose to. Jeremy's worried that this may be Xana's doing and that we're not safe alone. He thinks Xana took Ulrich. We haven't yet informed the school. It's only been about an hour, after all. He's not considered missing yet.

I brush my soggy raven hair from my eyes. The rain is pouring down in buckets. I can barely see through this waterfall the world has become. I can only wonder, is it the rain that's obstructing my vision, making it blurry and blotchy, or is it my tears because damn it, Ulrich wouldn't just vanish like this. Not for no reason. He'd of least come back to us. He knows we'd worry. He knows the dangers that are out there and how deadly Xana has become. He knows better then to just disappear.

So where is he!

"Guys!" Jeremy calls as he, Will and Aelita race over to us, panting. I only have eyes for Odd, his golden hair flopped down and eyes watery, just like mine. I can barely make him out in the darkness that has engulfed us but his shoulders are slumped and his head hanging.

I suppose I look the same though.

"I think we should head back to the dorms. Maybe he went back there." Jeremy says in a hopeful voice but we all know the truth. We know there will be no brunette waiting for us, but we tread home on dragging feet anyways.

"You can stay with me for the night." Aelita informs me, tromping over to trudge along beside me, one arm looping around my own as we support each other.

When we arrive back, it's nearly three in the morning. I think we look like drown rats but I can't bare to look myself in the mirror to check. I think I'm afraid of what I'll find. Odd slips his key into the lock with stiff fingers and fumbles to turn it. The door clicks open and he throws it so it bangs against the wall and he winces at the loud noise because he knows how much shit we'd be in if anyone were to find us

He catches the first glimpse of the room and his shoulders fall down in obvious disappointment. I want to forget why, but it'd be no use. All I can think about is Ulrich.

And Ulrich's not here.

Odd doesn't move for a long moment, and neither do we. I watch the blonds back for a few second. I don't want to see his face. I know it will only be a reflection of my own. _Where are you, Ulrich?_

"What's that." William questions, eyebrow arched. He pushes past Odd to their small oak desk and reaches out, grasping a small, white rectangular object. He flicks the lamp on beside him as he cautiously twirls his prize. The light glows dully and illuminates the white slip of paper.

"I didn't put that there." Odd states in a shaky voice. I bet his eyes are wide too, but I can't be sure. "Ulrich always keeps his side neat, not a paper out of place. That wasn't there this morning."

"What does it say!" I demand and I'm surprised at how strong my voice sounds. William locks eyes with me and I feel like he's searching them. Looking for something but I have no clue as to what it is. He doesn't falter and my breath catches in my throat. It feels like an eternity before he nods and turns to the slip. We all enter the room and Aelita gently closes the door behind her. She leans against it for a moment (too long, too weary looking. Why is she looking so defeated. Ulrich hasn't left. This is a misunderstanding!), palm pressed against the smooth wood and head resting on the surface. She jolts out of it a second later and turns around with a small, hesitant smile.

"Please proceed." She says and William nods again before gently slipping his fingers under the bend in the folded paper and pulls it up, unwrapping it. The raven haired male clears his throat before beginning.

_"Dear Odd,_

_I know you're not alone but I addressed it to you because you are probably the one who will find this. _

_I'm sorry to leave on such short notice. It's what I suppose you'd call an emergency._

_It's time to come clean. There's a lot I haven't told you and I only wish I could do this in person._

_You have powers._

_Our Lyoko abilities have manifested in us on earth. Not always the exact same powers but very alike to them._

_It takes time but with practice, I am positive you'll do just fine._

_I must warn you, all of your powers will have a consequence. They will most likely all be different._

_Please forgive me for leaving without warning. I will explain once I return which won't be long. I promise I'll answer all your questions then. _

_I'm sorry._

_Ulrich."_

And in that moment, I almost believe my heart just broke. Shattered. Did anyone else hear that crack? Or maybe you heard the rumble of my life crumbling down before me like a shoddy shanty in an earthquake.

I feel numb. It's like a knife has just been thrust through my chest, slicing through my skin and muscle like it's butter on a warm day and piercing my lungs and _Jesus Christ! _I can't breath. Has my lung been punctured? But the pain is dull, like a blunt pencil. It's there, but is it happening to me?

I almost don't notice Odd fall to his knees on his carpet floor. I nearly miss how he bends over his legs and plants his forehead on the rough, itchy ground. I think he's yelling, or shouting or sobbing, but all the noise has blurred together into one buzz of nothing. I think Aelita is saying something, and she catches my attention so I send a glance around the room. Shimmering tears are streaming down her cheeks and her green eyes are wide as she bawls. Jeremy is next to her, an arm wrapped around her waist and he too looks morose. He's not crying though. It's rare to see the day when Jeremy sheds a tear. Almost as rare as seeing Ulrich do it.

Ulrich. Have I ever heard a name so sweet. My friend. My best friend. _My family. _Because I consider every single being in this room family. When you're at war, your team becomes yout brothers and sisters. And we _are _at war. War with Xana.

I see William crumple up the note. I almost want to yell and scream at him. It's so tempting. Like a bone dangling before my starving eyes. It'd be so easy to vent on him and blame him for _everything. _It's his fault. He drove Ulrich away. They never really got along. But I'm being unfair. Unjust. He wasn't the reason Ulrich left, but what _was_? It's with shock that I notice a few tears creeping down his face, running over the tip of his nose to drip to the floor.

I turn back to Odd, unmoving on the floor. I see his chest heave, his hands clench and unclench and clench again. His fingers dig into the carpet and drag across it, almost as if he's grabbing a handful of invisible sand. His legs quiver and I want to see his face. Need to see it. Odd's breaking, just like me.

And it feels like the end of the world. The apocalypse. Everyone around me is in hysteria; In shock. I think, for a moment, that I'm looking in a picture. I wish I were because then Ulrich would still be here. And dammit, he couldn't have gone far. Why do you all act like it's over! It's never over! Why are we just standing around like helpless idiots. But I don't move either. My feet stuck firmly to the ground when the worlds tilting on it's axis. Everything's spinning but I never sway; I'm frozen.

My cheeks are wet. What is that? Blood, maybe. Or has the rain began to leak through the ceiling 'cause I clearly remember coming inside; indoors. So I lift a clammy, pale hand to my face and with a numb consciousness notice how it shakes. I gently press icy fingers to my face and follow the trail.

My eyes. The water is coming from my eyes. I'm crying.

And I feel like I'm dying.

XxXxXxXx Two Years Later

"Yumi." Willaim calls, grabbing my attention. "Your turn."

We're deep into the woods surrounding Kadic. It's our usual spot where we train. A little clearing with a natural spring running through it, lushes green grass, plenty of rocks and boulders to relax on as well as a large Oak tree near the creek that's perfect for shade during hot, sunny days. We come here for picnics often enough and always take a little dip into the cool, fresh spring. It's so calm and serene, I love it here.

It's the definition of Paradise.

"Sorry." I mumble as I step forward, Odd stepping back to sink to the green floor with a thump, sprawling out against the itchy grass eagle-style.

I'm the last to go.

"Hiya!" I shout, my hands propped against my temple as I struggle to concentrate on the task at hand; lifting the large, circular bolder and levitating it over to the opposite side of the little river. It's slow going and I'm sweating heavily by the time it makes it halfway across the creek. I feel my power waning. How long have I been holding it? I desperately cling to the thin thread of power I'm using to levitate it, trying to retain the link for just a moment longer. Just a few more seconds. Finally, it fully crosses the river. I feel like every inch is a mile trying to get it across. I don't bother to lay it back down, I just cut the link and it thumps to the floor with a small tremor shaking the ground.

My nose itches and I feel a trickle of liquid. I sigh as I close my eyes, feeling absolutely exhausted. If I'm honest, we had tons of progress since, well, since _he _left but looking at how were doing now, it feels like nothing. Why is it so hard to do such a simple thing? Should time and experience make it easier? Out powers last longer on Lyoko but I'm grateful to have them at all. Xana's gotten stronger and it's nice to know we have something to fight with in the real world.

Aelita hands me a tissue (we always keep them with us as my nose always bleeds when I use a lot of my power) and I thank her with a smile. Even when I forget to have them on me, my friends never forget.

"We should head back." Jeremy announces, already picking up the spare blanket and folding it. We all agree. We've been here for hours. We're bound to be missed soon.

XxXxXxXx Principles Office (3rd Person POV)

Mr. Delmas, or Jean-Pierre as he is known to his friends, stares across at the boy before him. He screws up his eyes as he studies the boy, knowing very well he looks very disbelieving and suspicious of the other. He doesn't care; he has the right to be wary.

The boy stares back, unblinking. It creeps him out a bit. For a few more long, endless minutes this goes on, two strong wills fighting one another and neither are willing to back down. Not even considering it. But Jean-Pierre knows he has the advantage. This is his school after all.

He sighs, and closes his eyes. He rubs his forehead with calloused fingers in the narrow piece of skin between his eyes. He's getting too old for this, he knows. A minute later he cautiously reopens his eyes, looking as if he wished this were a dream that would just fade away and he'd wake up, never to even remember it.

But it's not a dream, so he decides to speak up. "I'm sorry." He says, and he means it. "I can't let you in to Kadic under these circumstances. You must have a guardian and it's illegal to take a child out of the school without notifying a teacher. At the very least I need a signed letter from your parents."

The boys sighs, looking frustrated but Delmas doesn't care. Why should he. What the boy is requesting goes against regulations. Delmas is just about ready to slam his hands on the desk, demand the boy give him his parents number so they can come take their kid away and send the kid home. He doesn't need this. This is absolute bull!

Sometimes he wondered what compelled him to want to become a teacher and later a principle.

The boy stares, long and hard, before growling. He slumps his head for a moment before his posture suddenly brightens. He latches onto his bag and begins digging through it. Delmas can see his fingers grasp on to something but they're then hidden from view. The boy grins as he pulls out an envelope.

"There's your proof. Now, are we done." Delmas studies the boy again, even more suspicious. He gently plucks the letter from the boys hand. The brunette is grinning. So tempting, it is to just deny the boy (because he can) and send him away as if he were never here.

However, if Sissy ever found out, he'd be a dead man. This is her first falling head-over-heels, bordering on stalking crush. Yep. Sitting before Jean-Pierre Delmas was none other than Ulrich Stern and damn if he didn't just age ten more years in the past half hour.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Thaaaaaaaaats iiiiiiit! Well, that's the first remake chapter of my first story. Hope you like it, I prefer it much, much more than the first. Also, as I said before there will be many differences then the first story so please don't go looking for it. It's bad quality and not worth the read. Anyways, please review if you liked it ^_^ thanks for reading!

Coolbluerocker


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